𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡 / 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 / 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 ––– & the hours are long , but still not so long as those endured within the confines of district two . midday breaks & he is loathe to discover he is tired , that the very fibres of his bones ache with each savage hack & slash & stab delivered to manequin enemies . sleep has evaded him , ever the fickle rival , since the day of the reaping . ( it is not fear , but rather its cousin –– excitement –– that fills his head with the humming of bees & keeps him from rest . ) he watches a tribute from some lower district throw a spear ; it does little more than fly two feet before clattering to the floor . ( NOT MUCH OF A COMPETITION . ) as weary as he is bored , cato wipes the sweat from his brow & forsakes his own practice to rejoin clove . she’s the only one worth her fighting , anyhow . the rest of them are 𝚝𝚘𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚜 playing at a game they can never hope to win .
❛ you know what i think ? ❜ a pause / an exhale as he enters the boundaries of the station she’s been training in . cato raises his weapon , prepares to strike a marred dummy , & then thinks better of it . concentration crests like the rise of a 𝖘𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌 tide before –– all at once –– it breaks & disperses , leaving in its wake naught but sandy beaches . ( time for an intermission . ) he lowers his sword arm , letting the blade dangle idly at his side . in this moment , he is all sunshine & bright smiles . ( a stormcloud raining down upon all except she , honoured ally . )
❛ i think that the odds –––– – ❜ 𝐨𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫 , 𝐨𝐡 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 . he bows , a great , hulking gesture that is neither graceful nor intended to be so . when once more he straightens , the coy flashing of white teeth is jeering / taunting : a wicked gesture that speaks to the derision beneath . ( careful , 𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖗𝖚𝖘 . to be overbold in the face of adversity is to fly too close to a burning sun . ) he gestures to the other tributes , they who mind their own , like they are sheep grazing in a field . as if to say : look how harmless / look how incompetent ! ❛ – –––– are ever in our favour . compared to them , at least . ❜
𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐈𝐑𝐂𝐔𝐌𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 , the ever familiar ritual of aiming / throwing / hitting the very center of a target would have bored her by now . year after year of precision will do that to you . however , this time was different . this is what the sweat , bloody knuckles , burning palms and endless hours spent inside the academy came down to . it wasn’t boredom that coursed through the girl’s veins , adding fuel to flame --- it was EXCITEMENT , a desperate need to set the stakes ever higher just to tear them down herself . after all , who else would ever be able to ? & so , worn fingers wrap around the handle of another knife , removing it from the bunch she kept close and holding it at just the proper height . failure is not an option when you don’t know what failure is . not anymore .
her concentration is soon to be dispersed , the familiar sound of her fellow tribute’s footsteps inching closer and closer ( ‘ friend ’ tastes bitter on such a sharp tongue ) . she doesn’t bother answering , knowing cato isn’t asking for permission to speak . if anything , there is an unspoken agreement between the two --- she won’t cross his path as long as he does the same . still , there can only be a winner in the end , & what a formidable foe cato will be . let her victory be worthy of a crown . seemingly without thought , she finally throws the knife at the last target , hitting front and center as usual . it’s clear that he didn’t come to train .
and so clove’s attention turns to him , arms folded across her chest , a raised brow in expectant manner . the comment robs a chuckle from her mouth , eyes rolling at just how obvious the joke is . could it even be considered so , given how it was no more than the truth ? ❝ ha , very funny . came up with that one on your own ? ❞ there’s a hint of playfulness in her sarcasm , reserved to less than a handful of people . a pause settles as she reaches for three knives , one dancing between her fingertips while the others remain in the opposite hand . ❝ but you’re right . pretty boring , if you ask me . i was hoping this would be fun . ❞ another hit , ❝ picking the prey already ? ❞
baratheonpilled
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